Vehicle



Nov. 9, 1937. J. s. MCWHIRTER VEHICLE Filed July 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENT OR.

John Whfr'fr' ORNEYS Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNTED STATES FATE This invention relates in general to vehicles and more particularly to street cars.

The major object of this invention is to provide a seating arrangement with respect to the entrance and exit doors in combination with a coin controlled turnstile arranged to facilitate the boarding of passengers and the discharge of passengers from so called one man operated street cars, and the collection of fares from the passengers.

The other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of parts all in accordance with the ac companying disclosure.

In the attached drawings,

Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view of one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified form characterized in that the car is larger, and the side doors are further apart.

Many present day one man operated cars are unsatisfactory because of the delay incident to the boarding of passengers occasioned by the necessity of many of them tosecure change, which service is supplied by the car operator. The boarding of passengers is considerably slowed up by the necessity of securing change and depositing the fare in the fare-box. Some efforts to overcome this difficulty have included the idea of placing a coin controlled turnstile at each end of the car back away from the entrance door so as not to impede the entry of passengers into the car. This has not been satisfactory, largely because of the fact that the problem of making change was thus not altered. Modern street cars are frequently arranged so that passengers board 40 the car through one-half of the opened doorway, while the discharging passengers leave the car through the other half. This practically requires single file entry of the passengers into the car. Thus those requiring change, which, in

45 the usual practice, is made by the motormanconductor, interfere with the boarding of the passengers following them, notwithstanding the fact that the fare is paid at the more remotely placed coin controlled turnstile.

50 The major object of this invention is to obviate these difficulties and yet insure that each passenger pays his fare.

In accordance with the form of invention illustrated in Figure 1, no passengers are discharged from the car through the forward end. thereof adjacent the motorman-conductors station. This leaves the double door-way available solely for the purpose of permitting the entry of passengers. The result is that the passengers may enter the forward vestibule, and those who do not need change are free to move into the car, leaving in normal circumstances ample room for that proportion of the passengers requiring change. Thus the passengers at any stop may quickly board the car and it may then proceed and the motorman-conductor may make change as is convenient as the car progresses on its route.

The outline of a car is illustrated at i. It is provided with doors 2 and 'd adjacent to motorman-conductors station for either direction of movement. It is provided with side doors at 4 and 5 intermediate the ends of the car. There are no doors at 3 and 6, but it is usual in a car of this type to arrange fixed longitudinal seats along the sides of the car at these points. It is also usual with a car of this type to supply hinged seats at the door-ways at 2 and I so that when each is not being used the seat may be folded down into position for use. At iii are diagrammatically illustrated portions of the framework defining the window openings 9, opposite which the seats 8 are placed. These seats are preferably of the type in which the back may be properly positioned for either direction of movement of the car. The side doors 1 and 5 are longitudinally displaced and adjacent one of them is a fixed seat 8a, and adjacent the other is a fixed seat 82; running at right angles to the other seats in the car. Positioned adjacent the seat 8a and approximately at the longitudinal center of the doors d and 5, is a coin controlled turnstile it having a barrier arm #2. The barrier arm is positioned with respect to a railing or other suitable form of barrier l3, thereby dividing the car into the two sections A and B. It may be noted that the coin controlled turnstile is of the type which may be adapted for release by a coin for operation in either direction. There are known types of turnstile structures of these characteristics now obtainable in the open market. For each direction of movement of the car the turnstile may be locked against release by a coin except in the desired direction. An arrow indicates in Figure 1 the movement of the car in a direction from left to right. A description of the manner of use of this car for such a direction of movement will now be given.

The motorman-conductor stands at the right hand end of the car. When the car stops to receive passengers the doors at l are open. The

passengers may quickly board the car, those requiring change either seeking it or assembling in the vestibule, while those not requiring it being free to move into the area A. The passengers may take a seat in this area, or move into the area B. In order to reach area B the passengers must pay their fare by depositing it in the coin controlled turnstile H. This releases the barrier I2 so that the passengers may move, one at a time, past it and the barrier I3 into area B. It may be noted for sake of clarity here that as the barrier 12 moves from the position shown a new barrier folded down in the casing of the turnstile swings up into position with respect to barrier I3 so that only one passenger for one fare may move into the area B.

It is noted that any suitable turnstile adaptable for use with this invention may be employed, the one herein described merely being one example of a turnstile available in commerce and suitable for use with the arrangement involving this invention.

No passengers may leave the car through the doors at 1. They must leave through the doors at 5. The doors at 2 and 4 for the assumed direction of movementare, of course, not operated. The passengers who stop in area A, in order to leave the car, must therefore pass through the turnstile, paying their fare in order to leave the car at 5. With this arrangement the motormanconductor need therefore only watch the doors at 1 to be sure that no passengers leave the car through them to be sure that all passengers pay their fare before leaving the car. The arrangement therefore provides a practical useful system adapted to one man car operation with a minimum of delay and interference at the entrance to the car. For the opposite direction of movement of the car the doors at 5 and 1 are not operated, and the description above applies except that passengers board the car through the doors at 2 and leave it through the doors at 4. In this case the turnstile H is set to permit passengers moving through it in the opposite direction, each upon the deposit of a coin.

The arrangement of a system of Figure 2 is somewhat similar to that of Figure 1, and the same or similar parts have been given the same reference numerals. In this figure there is shown the application of the principles of this invention to a longer car having more windows and seats than of the type now commonly used. In this case the doors at 4 and 5 are separated in a longitudinal direction to a greater extent than in the case of the system of Figure 1. The barrier l5 which cooperates with the barrier I2 of the turnstile II is of a somewhat difierent shape so as to make the fixed seat 811 easily accessible. The manner and.- use of this car is the same as that previously described, and need not be repeated.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles of arrangement of parts which may be readily varied by those skilled in the art without departure from the true scope thereof. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a vehicle adapted to be operated from either end, the combination comprising a vehicle body having door-ways on opposite sides at each end, and door-ways on both sides intermediate the ends, the second mentioned door-ways being longitudinally spaced with respect to the length of the body, a fixed turnstile mounted intermediate the second mentioned doors with respect to their longitudinal displacement and fixed barrier means cooperating with the turnstile to form a passage-way between the respective ends of the car controlled by the turnstile.

2. In a vehicle adapted to be operated in either direction, the combination comprising a vehicle body, an entrance door-way at each end of the body, and on opposite sides thereof, a door-way on each side of the vehicle body intermediate the ends thereof, and longitudinally displaced with respect to each other, a fixed turnstile releasable for operation in either direction mounted in the vehicle body, and longitudinally between the side door-ways and a barrier adjacent the turnstile to form a passage-way between the respective ends of the body controlled by the turnstile.

JOHN S. MCWHIRTER. 

